November 16, 2025 • 41 mins
Most people wait for January to “start fresh” — but the research shows 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February. So in this bonus episode, Leanne and Susie flip the script and show you why starting small now is the real secret to lasting results.
You’ll learn how to use December to build momentum, not lose it, and how a few simple habits can make 2026 feel completely different from every other “new year, new me” attempt.
In this episode, we cover:
- The real reasons resolutions fail — and why January is actually the hardest time to overhaul your habits
- Why waiting for motivation never works (and what to focus on instead)
- How to set SMART goals that fit your real life, not your perfect-life fantasy
- The one small daily “anchor point” that keeps your goals front-of-mind
- Simple progress tracking that works even for the busiest women
- Holiday “healthy hacks” to help you stay balanced without feeling restricted
- How to avoid your personal “Achilles heel” habits that derail you every year
- Our own 2026 health and lifestyle goals and how we’re starting early
If you’re tired of restarting every January, this is the episode that finally shows you how to start small, stay consistent and build habits that last.
Press play — and start now, not later.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
If you've ever waited for January the first to start
your goals, only to feel flat or fall off track
a few weeks later, You're not alone. But what if
this year you didn't wait. What if you use these
next few weeks to start small, build momentum, and make
progress before the new year even begins. Hi, I'm Leanne.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Ward and I'm Cussy Burrow, and together we.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Bring you The Nutrition Couch, the weekly podcast that keeps
you up to date on everything that you need to
know in the world of nutrition. Today, we've got a
special bonus episode all about goal setting and goal tracking
for the new year, but with a twists. Instead of
waiting for January, we're showing you how to start small
now with realistic steps that focus on progress and not perfection.
(00:46):
And we're also sharing how to track your progress, the
goals and resolutions we've set for ourselves, and our top
healthy hacks to stay on track this December. All right, Dudy,
to kick us up today. We are going to start
with some stats because we love some stats, some evidence
on the Nutrition catch podcast. But sadly, when it comes
to New Year's resolutions, the research isn't great. It currently
(01:07):
shows us that about eighty percent of people abandon their
news resolutions by February. That's insane. Not by June, not
by March. By February, eighty percent of people are basically
just chopped in the town and be like Nanda, like,
it's not a great number, is it.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
It's not surprising though, because it just fits. We're on holidays,
and I always laugh because people are so keen to
get on track, and all of the New Year's resolutions
information in the media comes out on January first, or
even December thirty first, and everyone's at the beach partying, drinking.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
You know, it's such a big jump.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
So I think you know straight away timing, and we
can talk about a lot of different tricks and tips today,
but really why we will always talk about it in January.
You might want to sort of press pause and wait
until the second or third week. But what I will
also say is there's always a reason to not start.
In my experience working with clients, there's always something on.
There's always it's another birthday, another event, another something to
(02:03):
get through before you start. And in modern life, sometimes
you better just to start with small steps, not that
all or nothing approach, because it doesn't have to be
one hundred percent to yield results. And I think that's
a mindset a little bit like a diet mindset, where
we're either on or we're off, and we approach news
resolutions with idea or either doing it perfectly or not
at all. And so probably one of my biggest messages
to my clients at this time of year is just
(02:25):
start small and try and take one actionable step every
day to move towards that goal, rather than that, oh well,
I've blown it. I've had a ber just you know,
practice making smaller changes over time, and that's what will
lead to lasting change. Whereas you know, no one can
do it one hundred percent in January because they're partying
and it's a straight a day long weekend and so
many factors. It's no wonder by the top it gets
to the end of gen people have ditched it because
(02:47):
they never could even start in the first place.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yeah, And I'd argue that most people, no matter what
the time of year, couldn't do it one hundred percent anyway.
And I think that that all or nothing type of
thinking is for most people, that's kind of their biggest
barrier to actually achieving that long term success, because it's
not really about motivation, is it, Like everyone thinks, Oh,
I wait till I'm motivated. For most of us, it's
about the method. Like we set these goals that are,
as you said, far too strict. It's the wrong time,
(03:11):
or the goals are too vague, they're too big, they're
too focused on the outcome, like I want to lose
five kilos, I want to lose ten kilos. It's not
focused on the habit, like, all right, how are you
going to do that? Are you going to meal prep
most of your meals? Are you going to eat out less?
Are you going to drink less alcohol? A? You're going
to move your body more? So I think sometimes focusing
on the habit and not the overarching outcome can sometimes
(03:32):
be really important as well. But I always say to
my clients, why not now? Like literally, why not now?
Why not in November? Why not in December? Why are
we all waiting till the first or the second of
January when you can actually make so much progress through December.
But the reality is most people are wildly off track.
Probably the goal is to say, lose five ten kilos
in January, they put on an extra one or two
(03:54):
in December, and then they've got to work even harder
in January. So I think why not now, because most
of us feel far too overwhelmed by the time it
gets to Genuary anyway, And as you said, if you
can work slowly towards one or two important things in bed,
those really great habits now, it's only going to be
that little bit easier when it gets to genuinely not
feel as overwhelming if you're already kind of you know,
(04:15):
put the wheels in motion. True.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
And I think one of the other things that people
do is they're always thinking about the things that they
shouldn't be doing. So a new year's resolution might be
to lose weight, but eat less chocolate, drink less alcohol,
and in general they're not very attractive things to be
doing because people do want to have a drink and
have more tasty food. So is it any wonder we
don't achieve them. Whereas if you focus on adding things
(04:37):
into your diet that you look forward to or positive
So for example, I'm going to make sure I catch
up with a friend once a week for walking and
incorporate the exercise with something you like, or what are
the foods I'm going to eat more of rather than
less of straight away. That opens neural pathways according to
the broaden and build theory of psychology and positive thinking,
(04:58):
so you're looking them for opportunities. So rather than saying
I need to eat less I don't know, fatty food,
it might be I need to eat more salad. So
my first news resolution is that I'm going to try
and eat salad every day and hence how can I
make beautiful, delicious salads through January? So straight away that
that helps you to feel like, you know, invigorated and
excited about the goal, rather than oh, I can't have
(05:18):
any alcohol. So I think reframing them to the positive
things you want to add in to your lifestyle rather
than things that you want to do less of, because
if you have more of the positive things going in,
naturally you will have less space for the negative things anyway.
But it's that focus on the positive will make a
big difference too. So I want you to write a list,
say from today after listening to the episode, of all
(05:40):
the things that you would like to add into your
diet to improve it, and naturally that will overall help
the profile of the diet to be more conducive to
weight control and health.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
I love that, and it's so much easier to get
wins on the board when you're thinking positively like that,
like what can I add in versus what do I
have to take out? Whereas most people in January, I
can't have any sugar, I can't of takeaway. I must
go to the gym every single day, and it just becomes,
as you said, it becomes more about this punish rather
than this reward. So it's much easier when we're trying
to get winds on the board because those small winds
(06:11):
consistently create the motivation, and people look for the motivation
to start, but the motivation comes after you get a
bit of momentum, after you get a few small winds
on the board. So I have one hundred percent agree
with that, and it's so much easier to do, particularly
in Australia where it's so hot this time of year,
it's actually easy to add in you know, a little
bit of exercise in an air con gym, where it's
(06:31):
easy to add in some beautiful fresh summer salads or
even so many people don't even eat enough fruit, and
that is so much better than a lot of these
ultra process snacks that we're leaning towards. It's just actually
trying to add in a bit more summer fruit like
mangoes and berries at this time of year are beautiful.
It's you know, cherries are coming out in season. It's
so much beautiful produce available. Just aiming to add in
(06:52):
more fresh food at this time of year could be
such a massive wind for so many people.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
True, and some other positive things I think are factoring
in one special meal a week. So rather than saying
I shouldn't be eating this, I shouldn't be having that
focused on the lighter meals in the week, which might
be more lean protein, more salads, more vegetables, more fish.
But then once a week, I want you to have
a special meal that you might look forward to making
for the family, a beautiful pasta or a pizza or
something going out to a nice restaurant meal, because then
(07:19):
the balance is in the right proportion. It's not about
not eating the more dense food, It's about having it
at a certain time and enjoying it and then focusing
on the lighter options the rest of the week. Other
ones are you know, something anything novel. People like to
try new things, so a new recipe once a week.
I think looking for ways to enjoy low calorie drinks.
Maybe you'll try some lower calorie alcohol drinks or some
(07:42):
iced teas, or make yourself some special breakfast smoothies or
shakes at this time of year, so the more you
can get excited about the food that you're enjoying and having,
the easier it will be to keep on track. And
I think it's it's also looking at how can you
create some systems in your life. This is the time
of year that we can really think, right, how do
I make it easier to eat well? Do I need
(08:03):
to order some online groceries each week? Do I need
to have a fresh food delivery? Is this the time
that I schedule some new and exciting exercise sessions or
make a regular walking date with a friend. So I'm
doing that each week. So take a step back from
life and think, right, what changes do I need? But
how can I incorporate them into the foundation? Otherwise you
just start with another cycle and another short term plan, and
(08:24):
inevitably come like we've described, the end of January or
even February, it's already off the rails. And I find
working with a lot of mums and being amom myself,
that we tend just naturally as women to write off
our needs through the holiday periods with kids, and then
everything happens in February. We wait to get the kids
back to school, and then it's time for you, and
(08:45):
then you've got eight weeks or until the next holiday
till Easter. But of course then no one ever gets
any momentum because we lose, you know, three four months
a year for kids holidays where we're sort of enjoying ourselves,
eating out with the kids and their needs and not
worrying about ourselves. So for any of them listening, I
would take this as a suggestion to just try and
prioritize your health one aspect of it each day, even
(09:07):
when the kids are on holidays, whether that's taking an
hour in the morning to go for a walk and
you know the kids can be left to their own devices,
or if you've got older kids. Sometimes my boys will
actually come with me in the holidays if they know
they can get a breakfast out, but actually scheduling and
taking that time, because ultimately, if you are riding off
three or four months a year on holidays, you will
not make progress with your own health goals. So it's
(09:28):
a reminder to really try and pull that time out.
And I know it can be hard, but you know,
in some cases lean half an hour, you should be
able to find half an hour where you can leave
the kids with someone or take them with you and
go and do some exercise each day, even when it's
the holidays. Otherwise, as I said it, then February starts,
everything's chao or they can you never make any progress.
So it all comes back to that what can you
(09:49):
start and do now rather than constantly waiting for a
better opportunity which never inevitably comes with busy life.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
I love that and imagine if we set New year
resolutions around I want to put myself first, or I
want to put my health first and stop pushing it
to the side like I always do. Imagine the type
of small winds and the momentum that you get in
terms of making that your broader overarching goal rather than
being a weight focus. And I guess that leads us
really nicely into our next section where we have to
talk about some of the boring parts about nutrition that
(10:20):
we know work right, and that is around setting measurable
and achievable goals, because we've talked about these big, vague
goals that are really focused on the outcome and that
don't really work. So there is a wonderful framework with
a ton of research behind it. But it's a little
bit boring, isn't it? And I guess we're allowed to
say that.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Ah, it is, but it's also not because I think
that again, it's about making it a little bit exciting.
And we've covered it sort of briefly in terms of
the specific. So I think the first mistake that I
see clients make when it comes to goal setting is
making very broad general statements like I want to get fittered, next,
(11:00):
I want to be leaner, I want to lose weight. Well,
even within those three simple goals, they're quite complicated. How
much fitter do you want to be? How are you
going to get fitter? Do you currently have an exercise regime?
What does that look like? Or I want to lose
weight how much in what time frame? Is that realistic?
So I think, first of all, don't start with too
many And if you are guilty of not fulfilling New
(11:22):
Year's resolutions in the past and you haven't had success,
I would be inclined to say just start with one
small step and even approach the year and say I
want to be healthier this time next year, I want
to be healthier, fitter, leaner. Each month, try one new goal,
but don't start all at once. It's just too much
in a very very busy world unless you can go
and have a complete break from work in the family
(11:43):
and have a complete life overhaul, which not many of
us can. So I think start with one very small goal,
and even I want to lose weight is too broad,
so we need it to be specific. I want to
lose how much weight in what time frame? And as
a reference for our listeners, for someone who wants to
lose three to five kilos, you'll need at least a month,
(12:03):
if not closer to six eight weeks. If you want
to lose ten kilos, you'll need at least twelve weeks
if not a little bit longer, particularly if you've got
upwards of eighty ninety kilos where you may have some
hormone issues. And if you want a whole overhaul and
want to lose twenty to thirty kilos or need to
lose twenty to thirty kilos, anyone listening over ninety one
hundred kilos. You need to give it the year. That
(12:24):
is how long it takes. Even if you dedicate full
time to losing weight, it wouldn't be significantly greater than that.
My best clients might lose twenty and six months, but
they've often got a lot more to lose. You know,
they might be coming in at one twenty kilos, whereas
people who are eighty kilos or ninety kilos. It'll take
a fair whack of time to lose twenty because the
(12:45):
body doesn't like to lose weight, doesn't end like it
really has to work quite hard. So be very clear
in what you're working on and when, and also give
yourself that time. So you're just tapping away each time,
and you need to be able to measure it. So
whether that is weight loss, you need to be doing
body measurements. You need to check it on the scales.
Sometimes I have clients who'll say they don't want to weigh,
(13:06):
but I need some measure of outcome otherwise we don't
know if it's working or not. So even if it
is just body measurements, you know, it's not about just
feeling better. That's too subjective. It has to be an
objective measure. Again, if it's getting fishier, what are you measuring?
Are you measuring heart rate? Are you measuring how far
you can run? You know, you want to have something
very very specific on it. It has to be something
that you can actually achieve, which is why those weight
(13:28):
loss guidelines are relevant because often you know, we want
to achieve a weight we were when we were fifteen.
It's not probably not going to happen. It has to
be something that's relevant to you. But I also think
when I talk about relevance, I think it has to
be something that is meaningful and important to you, because
otherwise it gets it's not that important. And I always
know that when I talk to clients and they'll say
(13:48):
to me, oh, I had a blow out on the weekend,
or I went away for the weekend and I just
ate what I wanted, and it just tells me it's
not that important to them, which is not a big
deal unless they're upset it's not working because if it
was important to you, you would plan around it. And
I know that as a dietician, our food is probably
the most important thing to us. It's our underpinnings of
(14:08):
our whole career and our work and our purpose and
our passion. I never not know what I'm going to eat.
Always tape supplies everywhere. So it's not actually hard. It's
how important it is to you. And the more important
it is and the more you keep it a focal point,
the more likely it is to be successful. But also
that you will keep at it and get the results
you want. And it has to be time dependent, because
again otherwise you'll get to the end of the year
(14:29):
and you'll say, oh, I'm still the same weight, if
not more. So give yourself a time. So you might
simply say by starting in January, particularly if your weight
loss goal is greater, if you want to lose ten
to twenty kilos, it's too far, just start on the
first two to three kilos, so making sure that you
can actually achieve it. Or if it's running a marathon
or running a half marathon, or joining the gym, just start,
(14:52):
make an appointment to the gym, go and just start
going once a week and it will build. But as
we've spoken about many times on the podcast, the key
is action and very small steps. And you know, no
matter what I'm doing, I always start, like if I'm
writing and I'm really struggling. I'll just say you've got
to do one thousand and two thousand words a day,
and I'll make myself do it. I don't want to,
but you just have to always start. And I think
(15:13):
Carolyn Craswell, the CEO of Carmens, told me that one time.
She's very smart, and she said that when she was
building her business and juggling many different things, she would
just try and do something on each of the goals
each day. Something small and email, a correspondence, a check in,
and that's relevant for your goals. Have I done something
today that is taking me closer to where I want
(15:34):
to be? You know, I've got twenty minutes. Actually I
will go for that run, or I will go to
the shop and get some extra salad. I will take
one step closer. And these little daily steps add up.
It's not about those big things where you're committed fully
for two or three days. It's just little steps and
that will work very well through January, when perhaps you
are traveling, you are with the kids, and simple things
like being able to exercise no matter what, getting to
(15:56):
the supermarket and getting the snacks you need, prepping one
healthy a week, These are all small, achievable things no
matter how busy you are, and they are strategies that
will work well for your entire life even if you
really kick start and commit to them.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Now, yeah, one hundred percent. And basically what Susie's referencing
is the framework that we know is called the smart framework.
So it's what I mentioned was that little bit boring,
but it is super important to really make sure that
you're achieving these goals is within this what we call
smart framework, which is an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant,
and time friendly goals. Because it's all well and good
(16:31):
to say I want to get fit and then you say,
well how fit, and they go, I want to do
ten thousand steps. It's like cool every day, Like what
if you come down with the flu and you're in
bed for three days, Like the goal goes out the
window and you're like, oh, well, too bad, I didn't
achieve it. And that's why it's so important if you
use that smart framework that specific could be ten thousand steps,
measurable might be looking at your garment to check that
(16:53):
you've ticked that off each day. Achievable. That's the part
that most people don't get like Susie said, they go, oh,
I want to lose ten kilo in January. It's like, well,
if it took it an entire year to put on
ten kilos, it's not going to come off in four
weeks time. So the achievable part of that smart goal
is the part that most people miss. And if your
goal is to do ten thousand steps a day, make
(17:13):
it across the week. So if some days you're at
six thousand, other days you can be at, you know,
fourteen thousand and it evens out. Or even if you
say I want to do ten thousand steps four days
of the week, like if your current average is three
thousand steps a day, getting to ten thousand every single
day probably isn't very achievable if we're being honest.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
The other key thing I find works really well with
goals and tracking clients is having a set time each
day that you're kind of working on it. Because when
we're really motivated, we spend all this time writing the
goals down, which is important. You know, writing and monitoring
is incredibly important, and we're going to talk about that
in a minute. But I think the key thing for
me and that is to allocate a key time in
(17:53):
your day because busy women and I know you, you're
up at the cracker door and you've got little girls.
You've got to get them out the door. Then you're
straight into work. Then you're rushing around juggling a million
different things, and it's pick up time, then it's dinner.
It just we all get caught up in the whirlwind
of life. Like I often will say to clients and
my friends, every day is like going to war, Like
you just don't know what's going to happen. You know
(18:13):
someone's going to weed their pants, You're going to drop
the lunch box. Like it's just no matter the best
of intention, it never goes to plan. It was stop
at the petrol station and there's no petrol left in
the bowser Like, it's just always something. And so if
you can have that grounding point that brings you back
to your goals each day, that to me is key.
Otherwise you're always in the whirlwind. So the times that resonate,
(18:35):
I think when you're getting your coffee in the morning,
when you've got that couple of minutes that you might
just sit in the car with it or on the way,
I think commuting for anyone who is in public transport
and can actually spend some time where they're actually on
their phone already, or it might be when you sit
down after dinner with a cup of tea, or it
might be when you just get home and the kids
doing some homework. You've got to pick a set time
(18:57):
each day that is that little couple of minutes and me, Tommy,
you don't need a lot the end. It might be
five minutes, but it might just be enough to say, actually,
what have I done today to take me towards my goal?
What have I got planned for tomorrow? I'm making progress?
And that reflection and monitoring is crucially important. But for me,
it's the time women do it, because otherwise every day
(19:17):
is just a whirlwind, and then it gets to the week.
You start the week with the best of intentions, with
the goals all set, and it gets to Friday and
you think, god, I actually haven't done anything. Whereas if
that trigger for you is whenever I see I do
all my client food diaries, when I get my coffee,
and that just is sort of my reminder to do it,
then you've got to have that trigger point where you
sit down and reflect on your goals. And I think
it's great you can have notebooks and things, but I
(19:39):
think it's often easier just notes in the phone, isn't it,
Because that's where we spend most of our time as
where you don't need anything to do that.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Yeah, one hundred percent. But I think you made a
really important point where it's all well and good to
set these goals. It's all well and good to do
them in the smart framework, right, but are you actually
stopping to make sure that you're achieving these things. It
doesn't have to be daily, but it has to be regularly,
and for most of us, it needs to be at
least once a week, because if we're not measuring it,
and we're not checking in with ourselves to know if
we're actually achieving it, how do we know if we're
(20:05):
making progress? And it's all of the small winds that
creates that momentum and that motivation to carry us forward.
It ensure that we're still going a month later, We're
still going through February when everyone else is given up. Hey,
it's now June and we're still cracking on towards our
goal and making really great progress this year. Because as
the research says most people are basically thrown in the
tower by February, so we need to actually stop and
(20:27):
check in with ourselves. And I love that kind of
like what do you call like an anchor point that
Susie mentioned as part of your day, whether it's your
morning coffee, it's after you've tucked the kids into bed,
perhaps it's first thing in the morning. I have a
lot of clients who get up an hour before their kids,
and that's their time. No one's wanting them, no one's
asking anything from them. Some of them just sit there
and have a cup of tempies. Others exercise, some of
(20:48):
them do their journaling. I've got one client who jumps
in the sauna at four point thirty in the morning
every day. But it's their time. It doesn't matter what
you do with it. But if you don't put yourself first,
it will be December next year before you know it,
and you'll still be aiming to achieve the goals that
you wanted to achieve a year ago, or two years
ago or three years ago. So actually stopping and regularly
checking in with yourself is so important. But you're not
(21:09):
going to do that unless you put yourself first and
you actually prioritize your goals that start now, not waiting
until the first of January.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
True, true, true, true.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Alrighty, well, I guess that leads us nicely into our
next section, which is how we track our progress. So
it's that self monitoring. So we've mentioned a couple of
little ways. One of my favorite ways to self monitor
I love meal planning. I always say to clients, like,
just wack a piece of paper up on the fridge
and plan your meals out for the week. So if
anyone's like once for dinner, oh, you know, your partner's like,
let's get toke away, You're like, no, no, no, I bought
(21:41):
the salmon. That's what we're talking. That's what they're having.
The takeaway is for Friday night. We're going to leave
that till there. So I think meal planning not only
benefits us, but it betefits the entire family. I also
love to track progress with clothing. I have so many
clients that are like, oh, my goodness, like I took
my bra room and not I took my belt in
a notch. And it's such a nice way to know
that you're making progress without having to be disappointed by
(22:03):
the scale every day because the scale is great and
it can show you progress. But depending on where you
are in your cycle, if you've had a really salty meal,
if you've had a bit of alcohol over the weekend,
that scale can shoot up a keel or two and
can actually mess with our head quite a lot. So
I love actually using clothing as a really great measurement.
I'm also a huge fan of progress photos. I get
a lot of my clients to take progress photos, particularly
(22:25):
when they are training at quite a high level, because
it shows us some great changes in body compositions. I
think blood tests are another really great way to track progress,
and I have a garment a smart watch. I think
that's an awesome way to track progress as well, because
not only does it do all your exercise at tracts
your sleep, attracts your recovery, it tracks things like even hydration,
you can look menstrual cycles in there. So I think
(22:47):
that there are a ton of really great options on
smart watches these days as well. What about you, what
are your favorite progress tracking ways for your clients.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
I do like an old school's food diary, and I
don't like it because it's a teacher report card. I
don't see it as that, but it is a really
amazing tool. First of all, it's free and easy. You
don't have to do anything flash, you can type it
in notes on your phone, or you can just write
it on a bit of paper, so that's the ease.
But the thing is that it facilitates self reflection because
(23:17):
it's very easy to grab a handful of M and
m's here, I'm mince pie. There a bit of kids
left over there and not even being aware you've had it.
Whereas a food diary instantly it helps facilitate mindfulness around
eating and it's a good tool to actually see how
much food is going in at what time. So I
use it structurally to see the patterns of eating through
(23:39):
the day, so I'll be able to tell that if
our client's had too little fuel in the morning, they're
overeating in the afternoon. But for my client, it's also
showing them about are they eating on auto Q are
they actually hungry that's a big afternoon tea, you're not
having enough. So that is my absolute favorite one, and
my clients, you know, most of them do them, and
generally they're highly predictive of results. So I start intensely
(24:00):
in the beginning and then try and wean clients down.
I don't want them to ding them forever, but certainly
it's a great tool to self regulate without any cost.
I know that, you know, activity monitors are amazing because
they give amazing feedback all the time. So certainly for
anyone who is tech minded, I think they're fantastic. I
think even online monitoring programs like my Fitness Power can
be incredibly powerful at giving great data if you're a
(24:22):
data driven person. And I think I really like measurements
in the body because weight is so fluctuates so much,
and it can be really demoralizing when people see that
the skull's got up even though they've eaten less or whatever,
Whereas the measurements are telling you know, if your body
is changing, body composition, and you know, working with women
in their thirties and forties and beyond, a lot of
(24:43):
it is about optimizing body composition. So do you care
what you weigh if your waist is tiny? No, probably not,
So it's really about that shaping and metabolism aspect. So
I think that's really really positive because, like you said,
some of them take a long time. You know, blood
test results can take three six months position changes. You
can't have a dexa all the time, so I think
they're very quick and easy ones that you can check
(25:05):
in with and give you sort of real feedback very
very quickly, and don't cost a lot of money either.
So that's the ease that I quite like. Even the
good old phone. You know, if an activity tracker is
fantastic because it gives great data, but even your iPhone
will give you some steps. That's not a bad idea
if you know, as a feedback tool. But yeah, my
ghostus are generally the food diaries and the body measurements
(25:27):
are very very powerful.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Yeah, and I think that there's so many different ways
that we can track progress, but you've just got to
do it, you know. I mean, I think that's the
reality is different things will work for different people. I've
got some clients who do really well with their own
self reflection. You know, they speak into that voice, you
know memo thing on your phone and they play it
back to themselves and that's a really great way to
keep themselves accountable and self monitor themselves. But I have
other clients who you know, avoid the scales like the plague,
(25:51):
but they'll do progress measures, or they'll put their favorite
genes on there or that little bit tight you know,
once every two weeks and track that way. So I
think there are many many different ways, but the bottom
line is that you've got to do it. You've got
you've got to have some way to set your goals,
you've got to have some way to check in and
see if they're working, and another way to actually regularly
track that progress or I think at the end of
the day, life gets busy, and that's why most of
(26:14):
us don't actually achieve our goals because they're not at
the forefront of our mind and we're not regularly checking
in on them, on touching base with them, are we
We're just kind of cruising through life and they fall
to the wayside.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
True, and that's why that touch point each day and
actually even put it because the other thing that you
can do on your phone, of course is put an
alarm on, so that's that reminder as well to use it.
And you can do alarms for hydration, you can do
alarms to get up and move and in the morning,
it might be just that reminder of you know, what
did you have yesterday and what needs to be different today?
And that could be all different times, you know. That
could be let after dinner, when you're sitting down, it
(26:45):
could be, as I said, when you get cooking your coffee,
or when you first arrive at work for ten minutes
while you drink your coffee, But all those key opportune times,
you've got to slip it into life rather than adding
on extras, because I think extras in lives that are
already overscheduled and overwhelmed don't work very well. All rightly,
and well, it's the time of year when we want
to share our top little healthy hacks, and there's a
(27:07):
few that spring to mind that we probably take for
granted a little bit, but these are the ones that
we are really trying to encourage clients to focus on
and hopefully build habits that will last long term. And
we've said it once again and we'll say it again. Planning,
not knowledge, is the key to dietary success. So in life,
(27:28):
there will always be something that comes up that is unexpected,
So the more we can plan around that, the better.
And I think I think I have mentioned this starter
before on the podcast, but there's often a belief that
it's willpower that directs food behavior. That if you've got
more self control, you should be able to say no
to the chips, that you should be able to say
no to the tim tam or the treats at work
(27:49):
when they're passed around. But the science doesn't show that.
The science shows that people who rate high and willpower
are no better at resisting temptation than the rest of us.
But what they are better at is planning to a
void temptation, so they won't go to the morning tea
on time so they don't get exposed to the cakes,
or they won't go down the treat section of the
supermarket so that it's likely to buy it. So the
more you can plan around and schedule so that it's
(28:12):
easier to eat well. So the common one is take
your lunch to work, because as soon as you don't
take your lunch and it gets to two o'clock on
you're starving. That's when you're more likely to read the
biscuit jar, or if you go to a conference, you're
going to eat the catered food, good or not. And
that's one of the most frustrating things with my clients
is when they've gone somewhere and they're a victim of
the food environment, and they've said, oh, that was all
there was. Well, that was all there was because they
(28:33):
didn't take anything. So it's about the planning as well
and having contingency plans because you will already have special
occasions where you are going to indulge. Most of us
need that foundation that is stronger in the week, and
the more that you can plan for that, the better.
And the other one we talk about all the time.
Don't go out starving because you will overeat the dip
and the crackers and the bread, and these are all
(28:54):
extras you don't need, and then you're not even hungry,
and we can't have it all. I think there's a
belief that sometimes we should be able to eat as
much as we want and it's not fair we can't,
which is actually not true whatsoever. I think the other
one that I would like to see more with clients
is just really scheduling that activity no matter what. You know.
There's a lot of excuses. So I couldn't get out today.
(29:14):
I was tired, I had a big day, we were
out all day and an event, it was raining. I think,
you know, at a minimum, we need to be able
to schedule some activity right through the holiday break and
if you struggle because you're camping, you're with other people,
just get a friend to go with. Team it up,
schedule catch ups with friends so that you can do
some sort of walk as well, before you have a
(29:35):
glass of wine even you know you'll feel better, Or
get public transport so you walk some of the commute
in when you're going into the city. You know, there's
a lot of different ways that you can incorporate and
do more, not use busy periods in our lives to
do less, which is what many people do.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
Yeah, one hundred percent. You don't have to schedule in
a quote unquote gym session. There's plenty ways to move
throughout these holidays. You know, there's no reason the kids
go to the park and right they're like around and
we sit there just on the seat, scrolling on our phone,
Like we can go to and actually get some activity in.
It doesn't need to be formal exercise. It can be
more of that sort of incidental activity, which absolutely counts
(30:12):
at this time of year, and I'd argue counts even
more than just forty minutes of planned activity. I think
if we can find extra ways to move that's always
a great healthy hack at this time of year. Another
healthy hack I love it this time of year is
to really just get out and get some to the
farmer's markets, Like make a social occasion out of it.
Like get to the farmers markets, grab you coffee while
you're there. You're getting some extra steps around, and you're
(30:34):
exposing yourself to better quality produce. And if you're not
at the soupermarket, like you get most of the boggle
your fresh produce from the good farmers markets. There's often
you know, the fishmonger there, you get your meat there.
All you really need to do is with buy coals
and grab I don't know, a couple of cleaning products
and some little fillers. That's it. And I think that
when you're exposing yourself to better quality produce, you've got
more fresh food around, and you're far more likely to
(30:56):
eat it, because we are a victim to our environment.
If we've got great, healthy produce around, we're probably far
more likely to eat it. If a fridge is bare,
we're far more likely to go out and eat the
majority of our meals out. So I really like it
this time of year, really prioritizing getting as much fresh
produce around the house as possible, because if the fruit
bowl is full and the snack cupboard is empty, guess what,
(31:17):
the kids will probably eat the fruit if they're hungry.
But if you don't buy much fresh produce, the veggie
sticks aren't cut up in the fridge, and there's a
ton of you know, just junk food around for the kids.
Like they normally is this tome of year, they're going
to get all hyped up on all the sugar because
it's just there. It's just available. So I don't think
it's about missing out this time of year, but I
do think we can actively try to add in better
(31:38):
quality produce because in Australia in summer, there's like, we
are so lucky here. Honestly, we are so lucky the
good quality produce we have here compared to I've got
clients and you know in London in the middle of winter,
I'm like, oh, what about some avocado? We don't have avocada,
Like the salad here is terrible at this time of year.
So depending on where you live, like, we're so fortunate
that at this time of year in Australia we have
(32:00):
access to some of the best quality produce, some of
the best seafood. You know, there's nothing better than like
a prawn and mango salad in the middle of summer. Well,
there isn't to me anyway, So I think that really
prioritizing as much of that as possible and really being
quite picky. If you've got to go out to a
lot of these social occasions, what tends to happen is
between all the friendship group, everyone goes, where should we go?
(32:20):
Where should we go? And everyone else replies, but I
don't man, adn't mad ada mad? And then you know,
the reality is you end up at some dodgy like
I don't know, ribs and chip bar or something, and
then you're like, oh, there was no option. I had
to have the burger, I had to have the fish
and chips. That was all that was available. But if
you took half a second and suggests that a healthy place,
everybody would be more than happy to do that. So
(32:40):
don't just cruise through life and be like I don't mind,
I don't mind. Like, actually take the opportunity to be like, hey, guys,
there's this great new salad barrow, there's this beautiful new
Mediterranean place. Does anyone want to try that? For lunch,
and I guarantee you you have so many more opportunities
to find better quality produce. And then if you just
end up at the pub, and you're probably less likely
to overdrenk can overeat if you're a really nice place
(33:02):
that has great quality food. So I actually take half
a minute and think about, oh, maybe I should suggest
this to my group of friends, and can I book
a healthy option rather than just rolling with it and
letting the whole group decide, Because the reality is that
most of the time you'll end up at the pub
or Italian or something super heavy, which probably isn't in
line with your goals, and you end up feeling gross
afterwards because you've overeaten all this fried stuff, and then
(33:24):
you feel annoyed at yourself that you didn't suggest you know,
an alternative. So do that from the beginning, and it'll
be a lot easier to stay on track this timey
year as well. And I think the last point I
have is in terms of hacks this year, enjoy the
seasonal things that you love, like embrace the Christmas foods,
but really eat mindfully, Like I'm not really a Pavlova person,
Like I don't really have pavlova. I'm not a huge
(33:46):
like fruit mince pie. That's just not my thing, right,
But I love other types of Christmas food, like I love,
you know, a rumball or something. I love a bit
of caramel slice, and I love some candy cans. So
I think leave the things that you don't love, love love,
and embrace the special Christmas treats that you do love.
But I think the reality is that most of us
are just eating all of the things all of the
time because they're just there or they're like, oh it's Christmas,
(34:08):
I won't get to eat it again. But if you
don't absolutely love it, a lot of this food isn't
actually that great quality and it's not that great for us.
So I think be a little bit picky and be
a little bit intentional with the Christmas treats around this
time of year. Like I always get so many boxes
of roses at this time of you do you, Susie?
I hate roses, Like, out of all of the chocolates,
(34:28):
I would have to say, roses are at the very
bottom of my list, and I just don't even open
them anymore. Like David would happily eat any chocolate, but
I'm such a chocolate snot that I'm like, if you
give me a box of favorites, yeah, I'll eat them.
But I'm like, roses not not a thing. Like we're
never gonna get sponsored by Roses. Now, I get that,
but be picky in terms of the treats at this
time of year, because there's so many. We simply don't
(34:49):
have the budget to have everything. That's my take home message.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
Well, and this is not a good model for the podcast.
You know, you're actually like a spoil princess. You know,
some people would be very grateful to have a box
of Roses for me, a box of favorites. I liked
the old school Roses. They've changed them. They're not like
they once were. You know, the original you're too young,
But the original ones were really good. It's just they've
changed all the branding.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
But I hear you.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
What do I like the most? I love Ferrero's, actually
they're my favorite.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
I love your biscotti. Oh, I love Oh.
Speaker 2 (35:18):
I make good with Scotty. I'll be making you time
when I come up. I make great piscotti, I make
great rumbles, and I make great Rocky Road. I actually
like the homemade stuff. A bit better now as I
get older. Actually, mind you, we always have the kind
of the celebration chocolates as a family together. My boys
love to do that, so we're not as picky here
down here as the Britain condigit. But there was something
I wanted to mention though as we were talking. I
(35:40):
think a lot of our listeners will have listened to
the Nutrition Couch for quite some time, and these are
tips and tricks we repeat because they are the foundations
to eating well, particularly in the holiday period. But if
you're a long term listener, what I want you to
do but you failed to make progress. I want you
to identify what are your achilles heels? Where do you
(36:02):
go off track? Do you go drinking with your friends
and then come home and just eat everything and give
yourself permission to do so because you've had a few drinks.
Or do you routinely get into the habit of not
planning ahead and ordering too many takeaways at the end
of the week. Everyone listening will know what their risk
factor is, whether it's eating the kids' treats, whether it's
having too many drinks, and that might be just one
(36:24):
habit to work on to do it better. So rather
than having an all afternoon drinking situation or a party
and then come home and order for quality food, put
a contingency in place so you don't do this next
time and break that habit, because that is an actionable
step that will resonate with you. Rather than just going
through the motions of let's do this all again, actually
(36:44):
identify what are your risky situations and work on improving
those this holiday season.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Yeah, absolutely, all right, that's all healthy hacks for this
Timmy here. Lastly, to wrap us up, what are your
We're not going to call them news resolutions. We don't
want to call them that. What are your gone smart
or not smart that you have in mind for yourself
this or next I should say next year for twenty
twenty six, centered around I mean, we have lots of
goals cend to yours around like nutrition and lifestyle and health.
(37:12):
What are some goals you have for yourself?
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Well, lifestyle wise, I'm going to use the holiday It's
not exactly health and fitness, but I think it links
in because it's about being organized. I'm actually going to
take some time to go through all my crap at home,
all my cupboards, all my drawers, all my pantry and
clean it right out because my life cuts were on
the podcast. But it is a messlier we work like
(37:35):
crazy amounts. I've got two small kids. Everything is just
in a big, big mess. So as soon as the
kids finish school, I'm going to go through the kitchen
because we do a lot of cooking for work, and
it affects my stuff as well, because I've got old
stuff in the freezer, I've got things I need to
shoot for tasse ou, I've just got stuff everywhere. So
I'm going to do a big clean out ready so
when I start the new year, which will link into
(37:55):
my food and my organized nation and my planning. So
just so I start with a c in space. So
I would encourage people if you do have time, rather
than wait till January when you're filling on holidays. If
you do have time in December, it's great to hit
the ground running with a new year. What am I
doing with my fitness. I'd like to get to the
gym a bit more, you know. I sort of when
I'm busy, that is what drops off straight away. So
(38:17):
I think I'd really like just to commit to getting
to do my weights sort of not just once a fortnight,
like once or twice a week. That'll be my priority,
but I'll just I do my best with that because
it does depend on work and what else is happening.
But certainly over the holiday break I'm going to be
doing that religiously because I do have the time when
I'm not running around after the kids in school. So
they're the two things. I want a massive clean out
(38:39):
of everything, and I want to be a bit more
consistent in the gym than my two What are yours
are hearing?
Speaker 1 (38:45):
On that clean out? Dave got annoyed the other day
because he was trying to dress Tilly and there was
all this size one stuff in her cupbod in. He say,
it doesn't fitter anymore and she's like two and a half.
So I was like, yeah, okay, we need to do
a good clean out.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
And the kids they grow so quickly as well. You
just throw out like so much stuff.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
So he's trying to shove her feet into the shoes
that are too small. It's like, no, no, I've just got
bigger shoes. He's like where are they? So yeah, we're
on the same What else do I want to do?
I really want to prioritize getting to the fresh markets
more like we have these beautiful markets that are like
not even ten minutes away from us the freshest produce.
I really need to get them more like once a
month at a minimum. I've reckon. I've been four times
(39:21):
this entire year. So that's my goal is a little
bit more. I'm the meal prep queen, and it's completely
dropped off my entire radar for the last three months.
I must say I am either eating just meals are frozen
in the freezer from my like freezer stash, or I'm
just eating the quick and easy, like a salad bag
with some tuna or toaf where I'm using like beans
and rice kits and whacking a bit of salad into there,
or I'm doing a bit of soup and a piece
(39:43):
of protein toast or something. So my meal prepping has
fallen right off the planet the last couple of months.
So I really want to get back to that because
I'm just I'm not getting in enough nutrients as I
know that I want to when I'm not freshly cooking
as many things. And then my other goal is to
get go get my annual blood test and go and
get a dex scan. I actually haven't had a dexis
scan since I think before I had me, so it's
been like nearly four years. So I really want to
(40:05):
get a dexa scan. Go check my bone mineral density,
go check out my body composition, and go and get
my blood tests and make sure everything's all right from
like a you know, vitamin D perspective, iron perspective, blood sugars,
all of that kind of jazz. So I think if
you're listening, it's a really good time of year to
go and get some of these checks and these health checks.
Skin check is a really another important one for all Australians,
particularly those who live in warmer places like Queensland. Skin
(40:28):
checks are really really important. So if you haven't scheduled
some of your medical checkups lately, now is a great
time to do them.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
Yeah, very good advice. And these are things you can
always so schedule, same as scheduling the weekly grocery delivery,
all those things. Scheduling those appointments now because sometimes it
takes a few months to get in, but then you
set yourself up for success. So anything that you can
schedule clean out, you know, I always say, don't wait
till Sunday to prepare for the week ahead. I'd say,
don't wait till January to prepare for a healthy twenty
twenty six. When you've got holiday time, even if it's
(40:56):
the twenty seventh of December, these are key days that
you will be so glad you got organized because the
year will run so much smoothly if you use that
very precious time wisely and getting on track and focus
for the year ahead.
Speaker 1 (41:09):
Yeah, absolutely all right. That brings us to the end
of another episode of the Nutrition Couch. So if you've
been waiting for the perfect time to start, this is it.
This is your moment. Don't wait until January. Start now,
focus on your progress and take all of the little
winds to build that momentum right into twenty twenty six.
It is not about perfection. It is about starting, and
it is about being consistent. And these habits are the
(41:30):
ones that are going to carry you through into a healthier,
happier new year. So thank you for tuning in and
we will catch you next time on the Nutrition Couch.
Speaker 2 (41:37):
Thanks so much for listening.
If you've ever waited for January the first to start
your goals, only to feel flat or fall off track
a few weeks later, You're not alone. But what if
this year you didn't wait. What if you use these
next few weeks to start small, build momentum, and make
progress before the new year even begins. Hi, I'm Leanne.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Ward and I'm Cussy Burrow, and together we.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Bring you The Nutrition Couch, the weekly podcast that keeps
you up to date on everything that you need to
know in the world of nutrition. Today, we've got a
special bonus episode all about goal setting and goal tracking
for the new year, but with a twists. Instead of
waiting for January, we're showing you how to start small
now with realistic steps that focus on progress and not perfection.
(00:46):
And we're also sharing how to track your progress, the
goals and resolutions we've set for ourselves, and our top
healthy hacks to stay on track this December. All right, Dudy,
to kick us up today. We are going to start
with some stats because we love some stats, some evidence
on the Nutrition catch podcast. But sadly, when it comes
to New Year's resolutions, the research isn't great. It currently
(01:07):
shows us that about eighty percent of people abandon their
news resolutions by February. That's insane. Not by June, not
by March. By February, eighty percent of people are basically
just chopped in the town and be like Nanda, like,
it's not a great number, is it.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
It's not surprising though, because it just fits. We're on holidays,
and I always laugh because people are so keen to
get on track, and all of the New Year's resolutions
information in the media comes out on January first, or
even December thirty first, and everyone's at the beach partying, drinking.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
You know, it's such a big jump.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
So I think you know straight away timing, and we
can talk about a lot of different tricks and tips today,
but really why we will always talk about it in January.
You might want to sort of press pause and wait
until the second or third week. But what I will
also say is there's always a reason to not start.
In my experience working with clients, there's always something on.
There's always it's another birthday, another event, another something to
(02:03):
get through before you start. And in modern life, sometimes
you better just to start with small steps, not that
all or nothing approach, because it doesn't have to be
one hundred percent to yield results. And I think that's
a mindset a little bit like a diet mindset, where
we're either on or we're off, and we approach news
resolutions with idea or either doing it perfectly or not
at all. And so probably one of my biggest messages
to my clients at this time of year is just
(02:25):
start small and try and take one actionable step every
day to move towards that goal, rather than that, oh well,
I've blown it. I've had a ber just you know,
practice making smaller changes over time, and that's what will
lead to lasting change. Whereas you know, no one can
do it one hundred percent in January because they're partying
and it's a straight a day long weekend and so
many factors. It's no wonder by the top it gets
to the end of gen people have ditched it because
(02:47):
they never could even start in the first place.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yeah, And I'd argue that most people, no matter what
the time of year, couldn't do it one hundred percent anyway.
And I think that that all or nothing type of
thinking is for most people, that's kind of their biggest
barrier to actually achieving that long term success, because it's
not really about motivation, is it, Like everyone thinks, Oh,
I wait till I'm motivated. For most of us, it's
about the method. Like we set these goals that are,
as you said, far too strict. It's the wrong time,
(03:11):
or the goals are too vague, they're too big, they're
too focused on the outcome, like I want to lose
five kilos, I want to lose ten kilos. It's not
focused on the habit, like, all right, how are you
going to do that? Are you going to meal prep
most of your meals? Are you going to eat out less?
Are you going to drink less alcohol? A? You're going
to move your body more? So I think sometimes focusing
on the habit and not the overarching outcome can sometimes
(03:32):
be really important as well. But I always say to
my clients, why not now? Like literally, why not now?
Why not in November? Why not in December? Why are
we all waiting till the first or the second of
January when you can actually make so much progress through December.
But the reality is most people are wildly off track.
Probably the goal is to say, lose five ten kilos
in January, they put on an extra one or two
(03:54):
in December, and then they've got to work even harder
in January. So I think why not now, because most
of us feel far too overwhelmed by the time it
gets to Genuary anyway, And as you said, if you
can work slowly towards one or two important things in bed,
those really great habits now, it's only going to be
that little bit easier when it gets to genuinely not
feel as overwhelming if you're already kind of you know,
(04:15):
put the wheels in motion. True.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
And I think one of the other things that people
do is they're always thinking about the things that they
shouldn't be doing. So a new year's resolution might be
to lose weight, but eat less chocolate, drink less alcohol,
and in general they're not very attractive things to be
doing because people do want to have a drink and
have more tasty food. So is it any wonder we
don't achieve them. Whereas if you focus on adding things
(04:37):
into your diet that you look forward to or positive
So for example, I'm going to make sure I catch
up with a friend once a week for walking and
incorporate the exercise with something you like, or what are
the foods I'm going to eat more of rather than
less of straight away. That opens neural pathways according to
the broaden and build theory of psychology and positive thinking,
(04:58):
so you're looking them for opportunities. So rather than saying
I need to eat less I don't know, fatty food,
it might be I need to eat more salad. So
my first news resolution is that I'm going to try
and eat salad every day and hence how can I
make beautiful, delicious salads through January? So straight away that
that helps you to feel like, you know, invigorated and
excited about the goal, rather than oh, I can't have
(05:18):
any alcohol. So I think reframing them to the positive
things you want to add in to your lifestyle rather
than things that you want to do less of, because
if you have more of the positive things going in,
naturally you will have less space for the negative things anyway.
But it's that focus on the positive will make a
big difference too. So I want you to write a list,
say from today after listening to the episode, of all
(05:40):
the things that you would like to add into your
diet to improve it, and naturally that will overall help
the profile of the diet to be more conducive to
weight control and health.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
I love that, and it's so much easier to get
wins on the board when you're thinking positively like that,
like what can I add in versus what do I
have to take out? Whereas most people in January, I
can't have any sugar, I can't of takeaway. I must
go to the gym every single day, and it just becomes,
as you said, it becomes more about this punish rather
than this reward. So it's much easier when we're trying
to get winds on the board because those small winds
(06:11):
consistently create the motivation, and people look for the motivation
to start, but the motivation comes after you get a
bit of momentum, after you get a few small winds
on the board. So I have one hundred percent agree
with that, and it's so much easier to do, particularly
in Australia where it's so hot this time of year,
it's actually easy to add in you know, a little
bit of exercise in an air con gym, where it's
(06:31):
easy to add in some beautiful fresh summer salads or
even so many people don't even eat enough fruit, and
that is so much better than a lot of these
ultra process snacks that we're leaning towards. It's just actually
trying to add in a bit more summer fruit like
mangoes and berries at this time of year are beautiful.
It's you know, cherries are coming out in season. It's
so much beautiful produce available. Just aiming to add in
(06:52):
more fresh food at this time of year could be
such a massive wind for so many people.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
True, and some other positive things I think are factoring
in one special meal a week. So rather than saying
I shouldn't be eating this, I shouldn't be having that
focused on the lighter meals in the week, which might
be more lean protein, more salads, more vegetables, more fish.
But then once a week, I want you to have
a special meal that you might look forward to making
for the family, a beautiful pasta or a pizza or
something going out to a nice restaurant meal, because then
(07:19):
the balance is in the right proportion. It's not about
not eating the more dense food, It's about having it
at a certain time and enjoying it and then focusing
on the lighter options the rest of the week. Other
ones are you know, something anything novel. People like to
try new things, so a new recipe once a week.
I think looking for ways to enjoy low calorie drinks.
Maybe you'll try some lower calorie alcohol drinks or some
(07:42):
iced teas, or make yourself some special breakfast smoothies or
shakes at this time of year, so the more you
can get excited about the food that you're enjoying and having,
the easier it will be to keep on track. And
I think it's it's also looking at how can you
create some systems in your life. This is the time
of year that we can really think, right, how do
I make it easier to eat well? Do I need
(08:03):
to order some online groceries each week? Do I need
to have a fresh food delivery? Is this the time
that I schedule some new and exciting exercise sessions or
make a regular walking date with a friend. So I'm
doing that each week. So take a step back from
life and think, right, what changes do I need? But
how can I incorporate them into the foundation? Otherwise you
just start with another cycle and another short term plan, and
(08:24):
inevitably come like we've described, the end of January or
even February, it's already off the rails. And I find
working with a lot of mums and being amom myself,
that we tend just naturally as women to write off
our needs through the holiday periods with kids, and then
everything happens in February. We wait to get the kids
back to school, and then it's time for you, and
(08:45):
then you've got eight weeks or until the next holiday
till Easter. But of course then no one ever gets
any momentum because we lose, you know, three four months
a year for kids holidays where we're sort of enjoying ourselves,
eating out with the kids and their needs and not
worrying about ourselves. So for any of them listening, I
would take this as a suggestion to just try and
prioritize your health one aspect of it each day, even
(09:07):
when the kids are on holidays, whether that's taking an
hour in the morning to go for a walk and
you know the kids can be left to their own devices,
or if you've got older kids. Sometimes my boys will
actually come with me in the holidays if they know
they can get a breakfast out, but actually scheduling and
taking that time, because ultimately, if you are riding off
three or four months a year on holidays, you will
not make progress with your own health goals. So it's
(09:28):
a reminder to really try and pull that time out.
And I know it can be hard, but you know,
in some cases lean half an hour, you should be
able to find half an hour where you can leave
the kids with someone or take them with you and
go and do some exercise each day, even when it's
the holidays. Otherwise, as I said it, then February starts,
everything's chao or they can you never make any progress.
So it all comes back to that what can you
(09:49):
start and do now rather than constantly waiting for a
better opportunity which never inevitably comes with busy life.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
I love that and imagine if we set New year
resolutions around I want to put myself first, or I
want to put my health first and stop pushing it
to the side like I always do. Imagine the type
of small winds and the momentum that you get in
terms of making that your broader overarching goal rather than
being a weight focus. And I guess that leads us
really nicely into our next section where we have to
talk about some of the boring parts about nutrition that
(10:20):
we know work right, and that is around setting measurable
and achievable goals, because we've talked about these big, vague
goals that are really focused on the outcome and that
don't really work. So there is a wonderful framework with
a ton of research behind it. But it's a little
bit boring, isn't it? And I guess we're allowed to
say that.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Ah, it is, but it's also not because I think
that again, it's about making it a little bit exciting.
And we've covered it sort of briefly in terms of
the specific. So I think the first mistake that I
see clients make when it comes to goal setting is
making very broad general statements like I want to get fittered, next,
(11:00):
I want to be leaner, I want to lose weight. Well,
even within those three simple goals, they're quite complicated. How
much fitter do you want to be? How are you
going to get fitter? Do you currently have an exercise regime?
What does that look like? Or I want to lose
weight how much in what time frame? Is that realistic?
So I think, first of all, don't start with too
many And if you are guilty of not fulfilling New
(11:22):
Year's resolutions in the past and you haven't had success,
I would be inclined to say just start with one
small step and even approach the year and say I
want to be healthier this time next year, I want
to be healthier, fitter, leaner. Each month, try one new goal,
but don't start all at once. It's just too much
in a very very busy world unless you can go
and have a complete break from work in the family
(11:43):
and have a complete life overhaul, which not many of
us can. So I think start with one very small goal,
and even I want to lose weight is too broad,
so we need it to be specific. I want to
lose how much weight in what time frame? And as
a reference for our listeners, for someone who wants to
lose three to five kilos, you'll need at least a month,
(12:03):
if not closer to six eight weeks. If you want
to lose ten kilos, you'll need at least twelve weeks
if not a little bit longer, particularly if you've got
upwards of eighty ninety kilos where you may have some
hormone issues. And if you want a whole overhaul and
want to lose twenty to thirty kilos or need to
lose twenty to thirty kilos, anyone listening over ninety one
hundred kilos. You need to give it the year. That
(12:24):
is how long it takes. Even if you dedicate full
time to losing weight, it wouldn't be significantly greater than that.
My best clients might lose twenty and six months, but
they've often got a lot more to lose. You know,
they might be coming in at one twenty kilos, whereas
people who are eighty kilos or ninety kilos. It'll take
a fair whack of time to lose twenty because the
(12:45):
body doesn't like to lose weight, doesn't end like it
really has to work quite hard. So be very clear
in what you're working on and when, and also give
yourself that time. So you're just tapping away each time,
and you need to be able to measure it. So
whether that is weight loss, you need to be doing
body measurements. You need to check it on the scales.
Sometimes I have clients who'll say they don't want to weigh,
(13:06):
but I need some measure of outcome otherwise we don't
know if it's working or not. So even if it
is just body measurements, you know, it's not about just
feeling better. That's too subjective. It has to be an
objective measure. Again, if it's getting fishier, what are you measuring?
Are you measuring heart rate? Are you measuring how far
you can run? You know, you want to have something
very very specific on it. It has to be something
that you can actually achieve, which is why those weight
(13:28):
loss guidelines are relevant because often you know, we want
to achieve a weight we were when we were fifteen.
It's not probably not going to happen. It has to
be something that's relevant to you. But I also think
when I talk about relevance, I think it has to
be something that is meaningful and important to you, because
otherwise it gets it's not that important. And I always
know that when I talk to clients and they'll say
(13:48):
to me, oh, I had a blow out on the weekend,
or I went away for the weekend and I just
ate what I wanted, and it just tells me it's
not that important to them, which is not a big
deal unless they're upset it's not working because if it
was important to you, you would plan around it. And
I know that as a dietician, our food is probably
the most important thing to us. It's our underpinnings of
(14:08):
our whole career and our work and our purpose and
our passion. I never not know what I'm going to eat.
Always tape supplies everywhere. So it's not actually hard. It's
how important it is to you. And the more important
it is and the more you keep it a focal point,
the more likely it is to be successful. But also
that you will keep at it and get the results
you want. And it has to be time dependent, because
again otherwise you'll get to the end of the year
(14:29):
and you'll say, oh, I'm still the same weight, if
not more. So give yourself a time. So you might
simply say by starting in January, particularly if your weight
loss goal is greater, if you want to lose ten
to twenty kilos, it's too far, just start on the
first two to three kilos, so making sure that you
can actually achieve it. Or if it's running a marathon
or running a half marathon, or joining the gym, just start,
(14:52):
make an appointment to the gym, go and just start
going once a week and it will build. But as
we've spoken about many times on the podcast, the key
is action and very small steps. And you know, no
matter what I'm doing, I always start, like if I'm
writing and I'm really struggling. I'll just say you've got
to do one thousand and two thousand words a day,
and I'll make myself do it. I don't want to,
but you just have to always start. And I think
(15:13):
Carolyn Craswell, the CEO of Carmens, told me that one time.
She's very smart, and she said that when she was
building her business and juggling many different things, she would
just try and do something on each of the goals
each day. Something small and email, a correspondence, a check in,
and that's relevant for your goals. Have I done something
today that is taking me closer to where I want
(15:34):
to be? You know, I've got twenty minutes. Actually I
will go for that run, or I will go to
the shop and get some extra salad. I will take
one step closer. And these little daily steps add up.
It's not about those big things where you're committed fully
for two or three days. It's just little steps and
that will work very well through January, when perhaps you
are traveling, you are with the kids, and simple things
like being able to exercise no matter what, getting to
(15:56):
the supermarket and getting the snacks you need, prepping one
healthy a week, These are all small, achievable things no
matter how busy you are, and they are strategies that
will work well for your entire life even if you
really kick start and commit to them.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Now, yeah, one hundred percent. And basically what Susie's referencing
is the framework that we know is called the smart framework.
So it's what I mentioned was that little bit boring,
but it is super important to really make sure that
you're achieving these goals is within this what we call
smart framework, which is an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant,
and time friendly goals. Because it's all well and good
(16:31):
to say I want to get fit and then you say,
well how fit, and they go, I want to do
ten thousand steps. It's like cool every day, Like what
if you come down with the flu and you're in
bed for three days, Like the goal goes out the
window and you're like, oh, well, too bad, I didn't
achieve it. And that's why it's so important if you
use that smart framework that specific could be ten thousand steps,
measurable might be looking at your garment to check that
(16:53):
you've ticked that off each day. Achievable. That's the part
that most people don't get like Susie said, they go, oh,
I want to lose ten kilo in January. It's like, well,
if it took it an entire year to put on
ten kilos, it's not going to come off in four
weeks time. So the achievable part of that smart goal
is the part that most people miss. And if your
goal is to do ten thousand steps a day, make
(17:13):
it across the week. So if some days you're at
six thousand, other days you can be at, you know,
fourteen thousand and it evens out. Or even if you
say I want to do ten thousand steps four days
of the week, like if your current average is three
thousand steps a day, getting to ten thousand every single
day probably isn't very achievable if we're being honest.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
The other key thing I find works really well with
goals and tracking clients is having a set time each
day that you're kind of working on it. Because when
we're really motivated, we spend all this time writing the
goals down, which is important. You know, writing and monitoring
is incredibly important, and we're going to talk about that
in a minute. But I think the key thing for
me and that is to allocate a key time in
(17:53):
your day because busy women and I know you, you're
up at the cracker door and you've got little girls.
You've got to get them out the door. Then you're
straight into work. Then you're rushing around juggling a million
different things, and it's pick up time, then it's dinner.
It just we all get caught up in the whirlwind
of life. Like I often will say to clients and
my friends, every day is like going to war, Like
you just don't know what's going to happen. You know
(18:13):
someone's going to weed their pants, You're going to drop
the lunch box. Like it's just no matter the best
of intention, it never goes to plan. It was stop
at the petrol station and there's no petrol left in
the bowser Like, it's just always something. And so if
you can have that grounding point that brings you back
to your goals each day, that to me is key.
Otherwise you're always in the whirlwind. So the times that resonate,
(18:35):
I think when you're getting your coffee in the morning,
when you've got that couple of minutes that you might
just sit in the car with it or on the way,
I think commuting for anyone who is in public transport
and can actually spend some time where they're actually on
their phone already, or it might be when you sit
down after dinner with a cup of tea, or it
might be when you just get home and the kids
doing some homework. You've got to pick a set time
(18:57):
each day that is that little couple of minutes and me, Tommy,
you don't need a lot the end. It might be
five minutes, but it might just be enough to say, actually,
what have I done today to take me towards my goal?
What have I got planned for tomorrow? I'm making progress?
And that reflection and monitoring is crucially important. But for me,
it's the time women do it, because otherwise every day
(19:17):
is just a whirlwind, and then it gets to the week.
You start the week with the best of intentions, with
the goals all set, and it gets to Friday and
you think, god, I actually haven't done anything. Whereas if
that trigger for you is whenever I see I do
all my client food diaries, when I get my coffee,
and that just is sort of my reminder to do it,
then you've got to have that trigger point where you
sit down and reflect on your goals. And I think
it's great you can have notebooks and things, but I
(19:39):
think it's often easier just notes in the phone, isn't it,
Because that's where we spend most of our time as
where you don't need anything to do that.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Yeah, one hundred percent. But I think you made a
really important point where it's all well and good to
set these goals. It's all well and good to do
them in the smart framework, right, but are you actually
stopping to make sure that you're achieving these things. It
doesn't have to be daily, but it has to be regularly,
and for most of us, it needs to be at
least once a week, because if we're not measuring it,
and we're not checking in with ourselves to know if
we're actually achieving it, how do we know if we're
(20:05):
making progress? And it's all of the small winds that
creates that momentum and that motivation to carry us forward.
It ensure that we're still going a month later, We're
still going through February when everyone else is given up. Hey,
it's now June and we're still cracking on towards our
goal and making really great progress this year. Because as
the research says most people are basically thrown in the
tower by February, so we need to actually stop and
(20:27):
check in with ourselves. And I love that kind of
like what do you call like an anchor point that
Susie mentioned as part of your day, whether it's your
morning coffee, it's after you've tucked the kids into bed,
perhaps it's first thing in the morning. I have a
lot of clients who get up an hour before their kids,
and that's their time. No one's wanting them, no one's
asking anything from them. Some of them just sit there
and have a cup of tempies. Others exercise, some of
(20:48):
them do their journaling. I've got one client who jumps
in the sauna at four point thirty in the morning
every day. But it's their time. It doesn't matter what
you do with it. But if you don't put yourself first,
it will be December next year before you know it,
and you'll still be aiming to achieve the goals that
you wanted to achieve a year ago, or two years
ago or three years ago. So actually stopping and regularly
checking in with yourself is so important. But you're not
(21:09):
going to do that unless you put yourself first and
you actually prioritize your goals that start now, not waiting
until the first of January.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
True, true, true, true.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Alrighty, well, I guess that leads us nicely into our
next section, which is how we track our progress. So
it's that self monitoring. So we've mentioned a couple of
little ways. One of my favorite ways to self monitor
I love meal planning. I always say to clients, like,
just wack a piece of paper up on the fridge
and plan your meals out for the week. So if
anyone's like once for dinner, oh, you know, your partner's like,
let's get toke away, You're like, no, no, no, I bought
(21:41):
the salmon. That's what we're talking. That's what they're having.
The takeaway is for Friday night. We're going to leave
that till there. So I think meal planning not only
benefits us, but it betefits the entire family. I also
love to track progress with clothing. I have so many
clients that are like, oh, my goodness, like I took
my bra room and not I took my belt in
a notch. And it's such a nice way to know
that you're making progress without having to be disappointed by
(22:03):
the scale every day because the scale is great and
it can show you progress. But depending on where you
are in your cycle, if you've had a really salty meal,
if you've had a bit of alcohol over the weekend,
that scale can shoot up a keel or two and
can actually mess with our head quite a lot. So
I love actually using clothing as a really great measurement.
I'm also a huge fan of progress photos. I get
a lot of my clients to take progress photos, particularly
(22:25):
when they are training at quite a high level, because
it shows us some great changes in body compositions. I
think blood tests are another really great way to track progress,
and I have a garment a smart watch. I think
that's an awesome way to track progress as well, because
not only does it do all your exercise at tracts
your sleep, attracts your recovery, it tracks things like even hydration,
you can look menstrual cycles in there. So I think
(22:47):
that there are a ton of really great options on
smart watches these days as well. What about you, what
are your favorite progress tracking ways for your clients.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
I do like an old school's food diary, and I
don't like it because it's a teacher report card. I
don't see it as that, but it is a really
amazing tool. First of all, it's free and easy. You
don't have to do anything flash, you can type it
in notes on your phone, or you can just write
it on a bit of paper, so that's the ease.
But the thing is that it facilitates self reflection because
(23:17):
it's very easy to grab a handful of M and
m's here, I'm mince pie. There a bit of kids
left over there and not even being aware you've had it.
Whereas a food diary instantly it helps facilitate mindfulness around
eating and it's a good tool to actually see how
much food is going in at what time. So I
use it structurally to see the patterns of eating through
(23:39):
the day, so I'll be able to tell that if
our client's had too little fuel in the morning, they're
overeating in the afternoon. But for my client, it's also
showing them about are they eating on auto Q are
they actually hungry that's a big afternoon tea, you're not
having enough. So that is my absolute favorite one, and
my clients, you know, most of them do them, and
generally they're highly predictive of results. So I start intensely
(24:00):
in the beginning and then try and wean clients down.
I don't want them to ding them forever, but certainly
it's a great tool to self regulate without any cost.
I know that, you know, activity monitors are amazing because
they give amazing feedback all the time. So certainly for
anyone who is tech minded, I think they're fantastic. I
think even online monitoring programs like my Fitness Power can
be incredibly powerful at giving great data if you're a
(24:22):
data driven person. And I think I really like measurements
in the body because weight is so fluctuates so much,
and it can be really demoralizing when people see that
the skull's got up even though they've eaten less or whatever,
Whereas the measurements are telling you know, if your body
is changing, body composition, and you know, working with women
in their thirties and forties and beyond, a lot of
(24:43):
it is about optimizing body composition. So do you care
what you weigh if your waist is tiny? No, probably not,
So it's really about that shaping and metabolism aspect. So
I think that's really really positive because, like you said,
some of them take a long time. You know, blood
test results can take three six months position changes. You
can't have a dexa all the time, so I think
they're very quick and easy ones that you can check
(25:05):
in with and give you sort of real feedback very
very quickly, and don't cost a lot of money either.
So that's the ease that I quite like. Even the
good old phone. You know, if an activity tracker is
fantastic because it gives great data, but even your iPhone
will give you some steps. That's not a bad idea
if you know, as a feedback tool. But yeah, my
ghostus are generally the food diaries and the body measurements
(25:27):
are very very powerful.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Yeah, and I think that there's so many different ways
that we can track progress, but you've just got to
do it, you know. I mean, I think that's the
reality is different things will work for different people. I've
got some clients who do really well with their own
self reflection. You know, they speak into that voice, you
know memo thing on your phone and they play it
back to themselves and that's a really great way to
keep themselves accountable and self monitor themselves. But I have
other clients who you know, avoid the scales like the plague,
(25:51):
but they'll do progress measures, or they'll put their favorite
genes on there or that little bit tight you know,
once every two weeks and track that way. So I
think there are many many different ways, but the bottom
line is that you've got to do it. You've got
you've got to have some way to set your goals,
you've got to have some way to check in and
see if they're working, and another way to actually regularly
track that progress or I think at the end of
the day, life gets busy, and that's why most of
(26:14):
us don't actually achieve our goals because they're not at
the forefront of our mind and we're not regularly checking
in on them, on touching base with them, are we
We're just kind of cruising through life and they fall
to the wayside.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
True, and that's why that touch point each day and
actually even put it because the other thing that you
can do on your phone, of course is put an
alarm on, so that's that reminder as well to use it.
And you can do alarms for hydration, you can do
alarms to get up and move and in the morning,
it might be just that reminder of you know, what
did you have yesterday and what needs to be different today?
And that could be all different times, you know. That
could be let after dinner, when you're sitting down, it
(26:45):
could be, as I said, when you get cooking your coffee,
or when you first arrive at work for ten minutes
while you drink your coffee, But all those key opportune times,
you've got to slip it into life rather than adding
on extras, because I think extras in lives that are
already overscheduled and overwhelmed don't work very well. All rightly,
and well, it's the time of year when we want
to share our top little healthy hacks, and there's a
(27:07):
few that spring to mind that we probably take for
granted a little bit, but these are the ones that
we are really trying to encourage clients to focus on
and hopefully build habits that will last long term. And
we've said it once again and we'll say it again. Planning,
not knowledge, is the key to dietary success. So in life,
(27:28):
there will always be something that comes up that is unexpected,
So the more we can plan around that, the better.
And I think I think I have mentioned this starter
before on the podcast, but there's often a belief that
it's willpower that directs food behavior. That if you've got
more self control, you should be able to say no
to the chips, that you should be able to say
no to the tim tam or the treats at work
(27:49):
when they're passed around. But the science doesn't show that.
The science shows that people who rate high and willpower
are no better at resisting temptation than the rest of us.
But what they are better at is planning to a
void temptation, so they won't go to the morning tea
on time so they don't get exposed to the cakes,
or they won't go down the treat section of the
supermarket so that it's likely to buy it. So the
more you can plan around and schedule so that it's
(28:12):
easier to eat well. So the common one is take
your lunch to work, because as soon as you don't
take your lunch and it gets to two o'clock on
you're starving. That's when you're more likely to read the
biscuit jar, or if you go to a conference, you're
going to eat the catered food, good or not. And
that's one of the most frustrating things with my clients
is when they've gone somewhere and they're a victim of
the food environment, and they've said, oh, that was all
there was. Well, that was all there was because they
(28:33):
didn't take anything. So it's about the planning as well
and having contingency plans because you will already have special
occasions where you are going to indulge. Most of us
need that foundation that is stronger in the week, and
the more that you can plan for that, the better.
And the other one we talk about all the time.
Don't go out starving because you will overeat the dip
and the crackers and the bread, and these are all
(28:54):
extras you don't need, and then you're not even hungry,
and we can't have it all. I think there's a
belief that sometimes we should be able to eat as
much as we want and it's not fair we can't,
which is actually not true whatsoever. I think the other
one that I would like to see more with clients
is just really scheduling that activity no matter what. You know.
There's a lot of excuses. So I couldn't get out today.
(29:14):
I was tired, I had a big day, we were
out all day and an event, it was raining. I think,
you know, at a minimum, we need to be able
to schedule some activity right through the holiday break and
if you struggle because you're camping, you're with other people,
just get a friend to go with. Team it up,
schedule catch ups with friends so that you can do
some sort of walk as well, before you have a
(29:35):
glass of wine even you know you'll feel better, Or
get public transport so you walk some of the commute
in when you're going into the city. You know, there's
a lot of different ways that you can incorporate and
do more, not use busy periods in our lives to
do less, which is what many people do.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
Yeah, one hundred percent. You don't have to schedule in
a quote unquote gym session. There's plenty ways to move
throughout these holidays. You know, there's no reason the kids
go to the park and right they're like around and
we sit there just on the seat, scrolling on our phone,
Like we can go to and actually get some activity in.
It doesn't need to be formal exercise. It can be
more of that sort of incidental activity, which absolutely counts
(30:12):
at this time of year, and I'd argue counts even
more than just forty minutes of planned activity. I think
if we can find extra ways to move that's always
a great healthy hack at this time of year. Another
healthy hack I love it this time of year is
to really just get out and get some to the
farmer's markets, Like make a social occasion out of it.
Like get to the farmers markets, grab you coffee while
you're there. You're getting some extra steps around, and you're
(30:34):
exposing yourself to better quality produce. And if you're not
at the soupermarket, like you get most of the boggle
your fresh produce from the good farmers markets. There's often
you know, the fishmonger there, you get your meat there.
All you really need to do is with buy coals
and grab I don't know, a couple of cleaning products
and some little fillers. That's it. And I think that
when you're exposing yourself to better quality produce, you've got
more fresh food around, and you're far more likely to
(30:56):
eat it, because we are a victim to our environment.
If we've got great, healthy produce around, we're probably far
more likely to eat it. If a fridge is bare,
we're far more likely to go out and eat the
majority of our meals out. So I really like it
this time of year, really prioritizing getting as much fresh
produce around the house as possible, because if the fruit
bowl is full and the snack cupboard is empty, guess what,
(31:17):
the kids will probably eat the fruit if they're hungry.
But if you don't buy much fresh produce, the veggie
sticks aren't cut up in the fridge, and there's a
ton of you know, just junk food around for the kids.
Like they normally is this tome of year, they're going
to get all hyped up on all the sugar because
it's just there. It's just available. So I don't think
it's about missing out this time of year, but I
do think we can actively try to add in better
(31:38):
quality produce because in Australia in summer, there's like, we
are so lucky here. Honestly, we are so lucky the
good quality produce we have here compared to I've got
clients and you know in London in the middle of winter,
I'm like, oh, what about some avocado? We don't have avocada,
Like the salad here is terrible at this time of year.
So depending on where you live, like, we're so fortunate
that at this time of year in Australia we have
(32:00):
access to some of the best quality produce, some of
the best seafood. You know, there's nothing better than like
a prawn and mango salad in the middle of summer. Well,
there isn't to me anyway, So I think that really
prioritizing as much of that as possible and really being
quite picky. If you've got to go out to a
lot of these social occasions, what tends to happen is
between all the friendship group, everyone goes, where should we go?
(32:20):
Where should we go? And everyone else replies, but I
don't man, adn't mad ada mad? And then you know,
the reality is you end up at some dodgy like
I don't know, ribs and chip bar or something, and
then you're like, oh, there was no option. I had
to have the burger, I had to have the fish
and chips. That was all that was available. But if
you took half a second and suggests that a healthy place,
everybody would be more than happy to do that. So
(32:40):
don't just cruise through life and be like I don't mind,
I don't mind. Like, actually take the opportunity to be like, hey, guys,
there's this great new salad barrow, there's this beautiful new
Mediterranean place. Does anyone want to try that? For lunch,
and I guarantee you you have so many more opportunities
to find better quality produce. And then if you just
end up at the pub, and you're probably less likely
to overdrenk can overeat if you're a really nice place
(33:02):
that has great quality food. So I actually take half
a minute and think about, oh, maybe I should suggest
this to my group of friends, and can I book
a healthy option rather than just rolling with it and
letting the whole group decide, Because the reality is that
most of the time you'll end up at the pub
or Italian or something super heavy, which probably isn't in
line with your goals, and you end up feeling gross
afterwards because you've overeaten all this fried stuff, and then
(33:24):
you feel annoyed at yourself that you didn't suggest you know,
an alternative. So do that from the beginning, and it'll
be a lot easier to stay on track this timey
year as well. And I think the last point I
have is in terms of hacks this year, enjoy the
seasonal things that you love, like embrace the Christmas foods,
but really eat mindfully, Like I'm not really a Pavlova person,
Like I don't really have pavlova. I'm not a huge
(33:46):
like fruit mince pie. That's just not my thing, right,
But I love other types of Christmas food, like I love,
you know, a rumball or something. I love a bit
of caramel slice, and I love some candy cans. So
I think leave the things that you don't love, love love,
and embrace the special Christmas treats that you do love.
But I think the reality is that most of us
are just eating all of the things all of the
time because they're just there or they're like, oh it's Christmas,
(34:08):
I won't get to eat it again. But if you
don't absolutely love it, a lot of this food isn't
actually that great quality and it's not that great for us.
So I think be a little bit picky and be
a little bit intentional with the Christmas treats around this
time of year. Like I always get so many boxes
of roses at this time of you do you, Susie?
I hate roses, Like, out of all of the chocolates,
(34:28):
I would have to say, roses are at the very
bottom of my list, and I just don't even open
them anymore. Like David would happily eat any chocolate, but
I'm such a chocolate snot that I'm like, if you
give me a box of favorites, yeah, I'll eat them.
But I'm like, roses not not a thing. Like we're
never gonna get sponsored by Roses. Now, I get that,
but be picky in terms of the treats at this
time of year, because there's so many. We simply don't
(34:49):
have the budget to have everything. That's my take home message.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
Well, and this is not a good model for the podcast.
You know, you're actually like a spoil princess. You know,
some people would be very grateful to have a box
of Roses for me, a box of favorites. I liked
the old school Roses. They've changed them. They're not like
they once were. You know, the original you're too young,
But the original ones were really good. It's just they've
changed all the branding.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
But I hear you.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
What do I like the most? I love Ferrero's, actually
they're my favorite.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
I love your biscotti. Oh, I love Oh.
Speaker 2 (35:18):
I make good with Scotty. I'll be making you time
when I come up. I make great piscotti, I make
great rumbles, and I make great Rocky Road. I actually
like the homemade stuff. A bit better now as I
get older. Actually, mind you, we always have the kind
of the celebration chocolates as a family together. My boys
love to do that, so we're not as picky here
down here as the Britain condigit. But there was something
I wanted to mention though as we were talking. I
(35:40):
think a lot of our listeners will have listened to
the Nutrition Couch for quite some time, and these are
tips and tricks we repeat because they are the foundations
to eating well, particularly in the holiday period. But if
you're a long term listener, what I want you to
do but you failed to make progress. I want you
to identify what are your achilles heels? Where do you
(36:02):
go off track? Do you go drinking with your friends
and then come home and just eat everything and give
yourself permission to do so because you've had a few drinks.
Or do you routinely get into the habit of not
planning ahead and ordering too many takeaways at the end
of the week. Everyone listening will know what their risk
factor is, whether it's eating the kids' treats, whether it's
having too many drinks, and that might be just one
(36:24):
habit to work on to do it better. So rather
than having an all afternoon drinking situation or a party
and then come home and order for quality food, put
a contingency in place so you don't do this next
time and break that habit, because that is an actionable
step that will resonate with you. Rather than just going
through the motions of let's do this all again, actually
(36:44):
identify what are your risky situations and work on improving
those this holiday season.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Yeah, absolutely, all right, that's all healthy hacks for this
Timmy here. Lastly, to wrap us up, what are your
We're not going to call them news resolutions. We don't
want to call them that. What are your gone smart
or not smart that you have in mind for yourself
this or next I should say next year for twenty
twenty six, centered around I mean, we have lots of
goals cend to yours around like nutrition and lifestyle and health.
(37:12):
What are some goals you have for yourself?
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Well, lifestyle wise, I'm going to use the holiday It's
not exactly health and fitness, but I think it links
in because it's about being organized. I'm actually going to
take some time to go through all my crap at home,
all my cupboards, all my drawers, all my pantry and
clean it right out because my life cuts were on
the podcast. But it is a messlier we work like
(37:35):
crazy amounts. I've got two small kids. Everything is just
in a big, big mess. So as soon as the
kids finish school, I'm going to go through the kitchen
because we do a lot of cooking for work, and
it affects my stuff as well, because I've got old
stuff in the freezer, I've got things I need to
shoot for tasse ou, I've just got stuff everywhere. So
I'm going to do a big clean out ready so
when I start the new year, which will link into
(37:55):
my food and my organized nation and my planning. So
just so I start with a c in space. So
I would encourage people if you do have time, rather
than wait till January when you're filling on holidays. If
you do have time in December, it's great to hit
the ground running with a new year. What am I
doing with my fitness. I'd like to get to the
gym a bit more, you know. I sort of when
I'm busy, that is what drops off straight away. So
(38:17):
I think I'd really like just to commit to getting
to do my weights sort of not just once a fortnight,
like once or twice a week. That'll be my priority,
but I'll just I do my best with that because
it does depend on work and what else is happening.
But certainly over the holiday break I'm going to be
doing that religiously because I do have the time when
I'm not running around after the kids in school. So
they're the two things. I want a massive clean out
(38:39):
of everything, and I want to be a bit more
consistent in the gym than my two What are yours
are hearing?
Speaker 1 (38:45):
On that clean out? Dave got annoyed the other day
because he was trying to dress Tilly and there was
all this size one stuff in her cupbod in. He say,
it doesn't fitter anymore and she's like two and a half.
So I was like, yeah, okay, we need to do
a good clean out.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
And the kids they grow so quickly as well. You
just throw out like so much stuff.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
So he's trying to shove her feet into the shoes
that are too small. It's like, no, no, I've just got
bigger shoes. He's like where are they? So yeah, we're
on the same What else do I want to do?
I really want to prioritize getting to the fresh markets
more like we have these beautiful markets that are like
not even ten minutes away from us the freshest produce.
I really need to get them more like once a
month at a minimum. I've reckon. I've been four times
(39:21):
this entire year. So that's my goal is a little
bit more. I'm the meal prep queen, and it's completely
dropped off my entire radar for the last three months.
I must say I am either eating just meals are frozen
in the freezer from my like freezer stash, or I'm
just eating the quick and easy, like a salad bag
with some tuna or toaf where I'm using like beans
and rice kits and whacking a bit of salad into there,
or I'm doing a bit of soup and a piece
(39:43):
of protein toast or something. So my meal prepping has
fallen right off the planet the last couple of months.
So I really want to get back to that because
I'm just I'm not getting in enough nutrients as I
know that I want to when I'm not freshly cooking
as many things. And then my other goal is to
get go get my annual blood test and go and
get a dex scan. I actually haven't had a dexis
scan since I think before I had me, so it's
been like nearly four years. So I really want to
(40:05):
get a dexa scan. Go check my bone mineral density,
go check out my body composition, and go and get
my blood tests and make sure everything's all right from
like a you know, vitamin D perspective, iron perspective, blood sugars,
all of that kind of jazz. So I think if
you're listening, it's a really good time of year to
go and get some of these checks and these health checks.
Skin check is a really another important one for all Australians,
particularly those who live in warmer places like Queensland. Skin
(40:28):
checks are really really important. So if you haven't scheduled
some of your medical checkups lately, now is a great
time to do them.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
Yeah, very good advice. And these are things you can
always so schedule, same as scheduling the weekly grocery delivery,
all those things. Scheduling those appointments now because sometimes it
takes a few months to get in, but then you
set yourself up for success. So anything that you can
schedule clean out, you know, I always say, don't wait
till Sunday to prepare for the week ahead. I'd say,
don't wait till January to prepare for a healthy twenty
twenty six. When you've got holiday time, even if it's
(40:56):
the twenty seventh of December, these are key days that
you will be so glad you got organized because the
year will run so much smoothly if you use that
very precious time wisely and getting on track and focus
for the year ahead.
Speaker 1 (41:09):
Yeah, absolutely all right. That brings us to the end
of another episode of the Nutrition Couch. So if you've
been waiting for the perfect time to start, this is it.
This is your moment. Don't wait until January. Start now,
focus on your progress and take all of the little
winds to build that momentum right into twenty twenty six.
It is not about perfection. It is about starting, and
it is about being consistent. And these habits are the
(41:30):
ones that are going to carry you through into a healthier,
happier new year. So thank you for tuning in and
we will catch you next time on the Nutrition Couch.
Speaker 2 (41:37):
Thanks so much for listening.
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